Email: timl@patch.com Phone: 410-305-9113 Hometown: Trevose, PA Birthday: April 18 Bio: Tim was born and raised in the Philadelphia area and got his start working in community journalism in Bucks County. He has lived in Maryland since 1997 and now resides in Odenton with his wife and son. Tim is a graduate of the Philip Merril College of Journalism at the University of Maryland, and has worked as a business reporter and sportswriter for several publications in Washington, DC and Baltimore. Most recently, he was the sports business reporter for The Washington Times, where he chronicled the approval and construction of Nationals Park.  When he's not working, he engages in many interests ranging from watching sports, traveling, grilling and playing tennis and Strat-O-Matic baseball. Your Beliefs At Patch, we promise always to report the facts as objectively as possible and otherwise adhere to the principles of good journalism. However, we also acknowledge that true impartiality is impossible because human beings have beliefs. So in the spirit of simple honesty, our policy is to encourage our editors to reveal their beliefs to the extent they feel comfortable. This disclosure is not a license for you to inject your beliefs into stories or to dictate coverage according to them. In fact, the intent is the opposite: we hope that the knowledge that your beliefs are on the record will cause you to be ever mindful to write, report and edit in a fair, balanced way. And if you ever see evidence that we failed in this mission, please let us know. Politics  How would you describe your political beliefs?  I'm probably best described as slightly left-leaning, though I do hold some conservative views. But I am extremely open-minded.  Are you registered with a certain party? No. I am an independent.  Religion How religious would you consider yourself? (casual, observant, devout, non religious) I was raised in a Protestant church in Pennsylvania and still have deep ties there. Now, I attend regular services at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Odenton. While I don't necessarily agree with everything that organized religions teach, I believe churches can play a very powerful, positive role in building and strengthening communities.  Local Hot-Button Issues What do you think are the most important issues facing the community? The two biggest issues are probably the development of the Odenton Town Center and the addition of thousands of new jobs and residents as a result of BRAC. Though Odenton is a relatively safe community, there is some concern over crime.  Where do you stand on each of these issues? The development of the Odenton Town Center and the additional jobs to Fort Meade is exciting, though like many residents, I wonder about the impact on traffic and the school population.